It’s The Greatest Time Of Year

We'll do this Tarantino style and start at the near end and skip back to the beginning. Right now, I'm listening to Disney pop stars Aly & AJ and their holiday single, "The Greatest Time Of Year" and their holiday album "Acoustic Hearts Of Winter". And though it won't garner critical acclaim for originality or musical genius, it's the happiest song I've heard all year.

Today was the first full weekend I've had off in a long time and will be the last for a while as far as I can tell. I'm not used to free time, and on top of that I've been getting a sense that the latest femme in my eyes is not impressed with me very much. There was nothing concrete anyway, but this particular sweetheart was the first to catch my eye since about 5 years ago. I won't disclose names, this is between us, but I'll say this much, she's got the sweetest smile history has seen. I asked some direct questions from her today and have been awaiting what responses there may be. That essentially made today one long distraction. Fortunately for myself, I have a great friend and roomie whom also had the day off work and helped in the distraction. Chris and I hit up Potstickers Bistro for, what else, Potstickers and some noodles, then the mall to check out what new gizmos Apple had, Verizon to play with the new line of phones and I grabbed a new ball cap (first one in 2 years!). After that we got back to the apartment and watched "Just Friends" which seemed (to me) appropriate and made me chuckle about my current state of mind a little. There were still hours in the day so I ran out and rented Transformers: The Game and The Simpsons Game for Xbox 360. I haven't really played video games since high school, but I LOVE Transformers and really wanted to try the new game. I got the Simpsons just in case Transformers was too hard for me. I played Transformers for a while and it was awesome, however, after an hour of trying to make it past the second level, I moved on. The Simpsons was a two player game and so Chris joined me as we saved Springfield from the aliens. It was probably the most fun I've had in video games in nearly a decade!

And now, I'm exhausted. I had to blog about the day because, for a day, I felt as carefree as I was in early high school. The distraction worked. Sure, I'm still hoping she will get back to me to tell me I'm her knight in shining armor, but because of great food, gadgets, Xbox and a really great roomie, I had one of the most memorable and enjoyable days in a very long time. While I was out renting games, I stopped by Best Buy to get a CD. I remembered a song I heard at the end credits of "The Santa Clause 3" and thought that it was the happiest song I'd heard all year. So I got the album to reinforce the happy day. Now, going to sleep with such a sugary sweet song is capping an overall great day.

While I'm here talking about Chris and I guiding Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa through adventures in Springfield, I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned how great of an East Coast family I have out here. Nick has been one of the greatest friends I've had since our college days and is like a brother to me. His mother, Rita, was gracious enough to open her home to me when I moved out here and still treats me as one of her own. Chris, Nick's brother for those not keeping track, is a relatively new friend, he was looking for a roommate the same time my last lease went up and we got a nice new apartment from the cooperation, but since moving in at the beginning of this year, Chris has become a brother to me as well. I don't know if I can acknowledge enough how appreciative I am to this family for everything since jumping from the Midwest to East Coast nearly 3 years ago. Even if the situation with a significant other is vacant right now, I can't be more thankful for these three and their love and hospitality. The photo here is from Christmas in NYC last year...I love being part of this tradition.

So now I am really exhausted. Tomorrow's another day off (!) and I may just sleep as long as I can and possibly try to finish saving Springfield, but we'll see. Then Monday ushers in the flood of workdays. Happy Holidays everyone, and if you're looking for a little pick-me-up, Aly & AJ's holiday album is a touch of musical sugar to brighten your spirits.

-Rod